Primate Update 9/13

Many of the animals at Pacific Primate Sanctuary are geriatric, and require special care to ensure their needs are met and their health concerns are addressed.  As the monkeys age, we see a variety of physical problems including decreased mobility, weight loss, and a reduced ability to maintain body heat. PPS Caregivers face the unique challenge of keeping the monkeys healthy and safe, while providing them with the means to maintain their independence.  We have created specialized walkways that allow monkeys with limited mobility to continue living in their outdoor enclosures, using heat lamps and extra blankets to keep them warm.  We provide them with specialized diets to help prevent weight loss.  While these things allow the animals to continue to live out their lives in the green world, we also want to ensure that the monkeys are feeling their best as well.

We are very fortunate to work with a remarkable Veterinarian who has helped us find medications and supplements to deal with the problems of aging. One of the supplements that we have been using for all of the geriatric monkeys is Apocaps, which supports the critical biological process of apoptosis, and was actually created by our Veterinarian, Dr. Dressler. “Apoptosis safely and naturally dismantles and clears old and damaged cells from the body”. As animals (including humans) age, cell death slows down, leaving old and damaged cells in the body. Apocaps facilitates the clearing out of these unhealthy cells. The average lifespan of Marmosets in captivity is approximately 12 years. The Marmosets at PPS are living to be 17-19 years old. It appears that Apocaps is allowing the animals to live longer, healthier lives!

Recently, we have explored the use of Reiki, an ancient Japanese spiritual healing art, for the monkeys. We are very thankful to Eve-Lynne, who works with Hospice Maui, and volunteered her time to do a Reiki session with Bruno.  Bruno is 19 years old, the oldest marmoset at Pacific Primate Sanctuary, and is currently healing from a broken leg.

Please help us provide special care for the elderly monkeys at Pacific Primate Sanctuary, donate now at: http://pacificprimate.org/help-donate.htm

MALAMA ‘AINA, MALAMA KANAKA

                                 Take care of the land and the land will take care of you!

Many cleaning, beauty care, and medicinal products that are on the market contain harsh chemicals that are harmful to the environment and our health. In this new section of the PPS E-Newsletter, we want to share information to help take care of our beautiful world while caring for ourselves!

The following chart contains valuable uses for natural, nontoxic, everyday products. Please check the companies that produce the products, to make sure that they are cruelty free and not tested on animals: http://www.leapingbunny.org/shopping.php

 


Reference: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8403/72-uses-for-simple-household-products-to-save-money-avoid-toxins.html

WAYS YOU CAN HELP the MONKEYS at PPS

Pacific Primate Sanctuary is a small community of volunteers, doing a big job.  We spend very little on fundraising and nothing on administration. Your donations go directly to caring for the animals!

 

The monkeys depend upon the support of compassionate people for their survival. Please help the Sanctuary protect the lives of these threatened beings and preserve their species.

With your support, you make everything we do possible!

How to Donate Directly
We deeply appreciate your continued partnership. You, and your family and friends, can make tax-deductible donations to the Sanctuary on our Website:
www.pacificprimate.org and on FaceBook, using PayPal,

or by sending a check to:
Pacific Primate Sanctuary
500-A Haloa Road
 Haiku, HI 96708

Give the Gift of Your Service and Volunteer Your Time
We are looking for mature team players who are willing to make a long-term commitment to the Sanctuary. Retirees are most welcome.  Please e-mail us at pps@pacificprimate.org  if you are interested in joining the PPS Team and offering your selfless service to the monkeys.
There are many other ways to help Pacific Primate Sanctuary, to find out more please visit our website: http://www.pacificprimate.org/help.htm

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Special Topic: Intern Edie
The Complete Capuchin; A Brief Overview of Capuchin Teeth, Tail and Hand Characteristics

The capuchin diet includes a variety of foods that are obtained from hard woody substrates, foods that have hard husks and other encased foods.  Their jaws and teeth have particular characteristics that aid them in obtaining and consuming these food items.  Mandible (lower jaw) adaptations allow the capuchins to withstand vigorous pulling and mastication (chewing).

All of the capuchin’s teeth are more thickly enameled that that of other primates.  They have thick strong canines, long incisors and square molars shaped in a manner that helps with cracking and grinding.  The front center of their mandible is thickened to withstand bending strain from biting and pulling with their incisors and the mandible muscles have a larger ratio to support these motions giving them a stronger bite.

Capuchins have a semi-prehensile tail.  Prehensile tails are able to both support weight and grasp and hold.  It can be used as another appendage to aid in locomotion and food manipulation.  Spider monkeys have a fully prehensile tail.  They are able to completely support their body weight from their tail in suspensory postures and can use their tail to hold and manipulate their food.  Spider monkeys have a hairless skin patch at the tip of their tail that has sensory bodies similar to those found in fingertips. The capuchins however are considered to have only a semi prehensile tail.  Adult capuchins rarely suspend their body weight solely from their tail.  The tail is fully furred and lacks the specialized sensory skin found in the atelines (spider monkeys) and is not as dexterous or flexible.  They are however are able pick up small objects with their tail and use it for other precise maneuvers.

The capuchins use their tail to assist in locomotion by grasping supports as they move quadrapedally.  The tail is also used to assist in foraging by stabilize their posturing.  In the “inverse bipedal” posture the tail anchors the body while the body hangs downward with the back feet holding onto supports or are pushing against a surface.  This posture frees the hands for food searching, gathering and manipulation.  Tail assistance is prominent in the seated posture.  When the monkey is seated the tail wraps around a support essentially allowing the capuchin to remain stable while exerting force necessary to break into encased food sources.

Capuchin hands have great dexterity and strength.  The capuchin has a pseudo opposable thumb that allows the monkey precision grip on objects.  The pseudo opposable thumb flexes parallel to the other digits when picking something up.  They lack the specialized “saddle joint” that humans have that allow us to rotate our thumbs so the tip of the thumb and the tip of the other digits can face each other.  They lack the structure and muscles that give humans the ability for joint rotation.  The “saddle joint” gives humans the range of motion to cross our thumb into the tips of the other digits.  While capuchins do not have this saddle joint they are capable of increased range of motion and strength compared to that of other new world monkeys. The capuchins utilize strength and precision grip in their manual functions and have specific anatomical features that allow them this necessary strength and enhanced dexterity.  Capuchins are able to perform a variety of precision grips similar to those used by old world monkeys and apes.  They are capable of this due to their adapted skeletal structure that allows some opposability between the thumb and other digits.  Capuchins are the only platyrrhine (new world monkey) taxon capable of this.

Reference:
-Fragaszy, D., Visalberghi, E., Fedigan, L. (2004). The Complete Capuchin-The Biology of the Genus Cebus. Cambridge University Press.


Special Topic: Intern Rachel
Vocal Chart: Cotton Top Tamarins

The vocalizations of cotton top tamarins are extensive, but are derived from the variation of two basic sounds and the various combinations of those elements. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have identified 38 distinct sounds and combinations.  Below is a chart containing most of these different calls, many of which are heard daily from the PPS cotton-tops!

All above information taken from the website: http://proyectotiti.com/english/vocalizations.htm
 

“Human beings are a part of the animal kingdom, not apart from it. The separation of "us" and "them" creates a false picture and is responsible for much suffering. It is part of the in-group/out-group mentality that leads to human oppression of the weak by the strong as in ethic, religious, political, and social conflicts.”  ― Marc Bekoff, Animals Matter: A Biologist Explains Why We Should Treat Animals with Compassion and Respect




We hope you have enjoyed this issue of Pacific Primate Sanctuary’s E-Newsletter. Thank you for your support of our life saving work. Because of compassionate people, the Sanctuary can continue to provide a place of peace and happiness for 60 primates saved from research laboratories, animal dealers, and tourist attractions. Here they can heal, form social groups, and live free from exploitation.


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